Heyman On Rizzo, Rangers, Webb, Jackson
The Cubs acquired Anthony Rizzo from the Padres today, but they weren’t the only team with interest in the first base prospect. The Indians, Blue Jays and Rays also had some interest in Rizzo, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here are more notes from Heyman (they all go to Twitter):
- The Rangers would like to lock Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton, Mike Adams and Colby Lewis to extensions if possible, according to Heyman. Ian Kinsler and Derek Holland are among the Rangers’ other extension candidates.
- Brandon Webb started throwing again in late December and his arm is “strong and loose,” according to his agent. Webb signed with the Rangers last offseason, but didn't pitch at the Major League level and underwent right shoulder surgery in the summer. He hasn't appeared in an MLB game since April of 2009.
- The Orioles have interest in Edwin Jackson, according to Heyman. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explained in December that Jackson's upside intrigues the Orioles.
Seth Smith Continues Drawing Interest
Rockies outfielder Seth Smith remains a coveted trade chip, though the Braves’ interest in him has cooled, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported yesterday. The Rockies would like to trade Smith for a back-of-the-rotation starter or a second baseman, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes.
The Rays are not in the hunt for Smith, though the Rockies covet Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann, Renck reported. The Athletics and Mariners have interest in Smith, according to Rosenthal, who reported along with Jon Paul Morosi last month that the Mets have expressed interest as well. Rosenthal now adds the Indians and Red Sox to the list of teams that have shown at least some interest in Smith.
Smith, a left-handed hitter, posted a .284/.347/.483 line with 15 homers in 533 plate appearances this past season, playing left and right field. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz estimates a 2012 salary of $2.6MM for the 29-year-old via the arbitration process. He’ll remain under team control through 2014.
International Notes: Zambrano, Cabrera, Montero
Links are in Spanish…
- Rumors have been circulating in Carlos Zambrano's home country of Venezuela about a possible trade to Miami, writes Marlins beat writer Luis Rangel at El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language counterpart to the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Rangel adds that he's heard from the team that "it's not true."
- Asdrubal Cabrera will begin contract negotiations with the Indians next week, his agent Jose Mijares of Octagon told Jose Manuel Fernandez at El Universal in Venezuela. Tim Dierkes analyzed Cabrera as an multiyear extension candidate yesterday, though Mijares didn't mention any prospect of a long-term deal. "The team will send us a figure, and we'll respond," he said. "I don't think there will be any problems in signing soon. My experience with Cleveland tells me that there won't be any need to go to arbitration."
- In the same piece, Mijares said that another of his arbitration-eligible clients, Miguel Montero, is close to agreeing with the Diamondbacks on a figure for 2012. "Montero has more points in his favor than Cabrera," Mijares said. "He was the leader many offensive categories among National League catchers." Montero's strong 2011 campaign led MLBTR's Mark Polishuk to identify him as an extension candidate back in September. For 2012, Matt Swartz projects a $5.3MM salary.
- Vicente Padilla told Edgard Rodriguez C. at La Prensa in Nicaragua that three teams have showed interest in him recently. Two days ago, another Nicaraguan paper reported that the Marlins were eyeing Padilla, but the pitcher said there is nothing firm between him and any team. More importantly to the 34-year-old righty's Major League prospects, his neck is pain-free and his fastball has reportedly been up around 95-96 mph this winter.
- Miguel Tejada told Pappy Perez at El Nacional in the Dominican Republic that he wants to invest in the Dominican Winter League team the Aguilas Cibaeñas when his Major Leauge career is through. But he emphasized that he's not retired yet. "I've had a bad season, but that's not to say that I'm done, and my goal is to show that I can still be a player at the highest level. That's my goal these days," Tejada insisted.
- Sources close to Amaury Sanit tell Fernando Ballesteros at Puro Béisbol in Mexico that the Dodgers are interested in signing the 32-year-old Cuban reliever. Sanit logged just seven innings out of the Yankees' pen last season before being released in June, but he has seen more action as the closer for the Culicán Tomateros in the Mexican League this winter, pitching to a 0.62 era in 36 appearances.
Indians Sign Robinson Tejeda
The Indians signed right-handed reliever Robinson Tejeda to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The 29-year-old entered the 2011 season as the Royals' setup man, but quickly lost the job partly due to a shoulder injury. He was removed from the team's 40-man roster in June and elected free agency in October.
When healthy Tejeda spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A, posting a 3.80 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and 1.60 HR/9 in 45 relief innings. Tejeda did some solid work for the Royals at times in 2009-10, with a 9.6 K/9 and an average fastball around 94 miles per hour. His heater was down to 90.2 in 2011, probably in relation to his injury. The Indians' press release says he finished the season healthy at Omaha.
The Indians' other non-roster invitees so far include Luke Carlin, Michel Hernandez, Matt Pagnozzi, Andy LaRoche, Jose Lopez, and Felix Pie.
Extension Candidate: Asdrubal Cabrera
It's difficult to argue with the selection of Jacoby Ellsbury as the American League's 2011 Comeback Player of the Year, but Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera belonged in the discussion. A broken left forearm cost Cabrera much of the 2010 season, but he posted a career year in 2011, winning a Silver Slugger with a 25 home run campaign. What would a fair extension look like?
First we must address the question of whether the Indians or Cabrera would be interested in a multiyear deal. The Indians have to note Cabrera slumped to .244/.310/.419 in the second half. That's useful for a shortstop, but not star territory. Then there's the matter of Cabrera's defense, which UZR rates as consistently below-average.
On the other hand, Cabrera played in 151 games last year and hit .289/.344/.486 over the season's first four months. He may have worn down toward the tail end of the season. He hit more flyballs than ever and may truly be a perennial 20 home run threat now. And it's possible the Indians prefer other defensive metrics that present Cabrera in a better light. Jason Donald doesn't profile as an everyday shortstop; the Indians don't have anyone nipping at Cabrera's heels.
Cabrera, a client of Octagon, has a bit more than four years of Major League service. Matt Swartz's projections call for a raise of nearly $3MM in his second arbitration year, bringing Cabrera to approximately $4.8MM for 2012. As a comparison, J.J. Hardy's 2008 season, in which he hit 24+ home runs for a second consecutive year, earned him a $2MM raise heading into his second arbitration year.
Hardy had a couple of injury-plagued years before fully bouncing back in 2011. His three-year, $22.25MM extension was signed in July, and the $7.4MM average annual value feels well light of what he could have earned on the open market. Generally players, even shortstops, are compensated more for offense than defense. Although Jhonny Peralta and Clint Barmes are superior defenders to Cabrera, Cabrera's 25 home run, 92 RBI campaign probably puts him ahead of the $5.5MM-range average annual values they scored on two-year free agent deals. Of course, Cabrera is two full seasons away from the open market.
Toronto's Yunel Escobar doesn't have the power of any of those players, but he is a shortstop who signed an extension prior to his second arbitration year. The contract is probably too team-friendly to be instructive, with $5MM salaries for each of the last two arbitration years and two club options for free agent years at the same amount. Stephen Drew is a point of reference on the other end of the spectrum; he's under contract for $15.75MM for his last two arbitration years alone.
What would be a fair offer for Cabrera? I'm thinking $4.25MM for 2012, $6.5MM for 2013, and $8MM apiece for two free agent years. That'd put him around $27MM over four years, a nice guarantee for a player who had never topped six home runs in a season prior to 2011. The Indians would probably prefer a club option on the last year or two, but with Cabrera within spitting distance of free agency they might not be able to get that. It's possible the Indians don't value Cabrera's free agent years at that level, but I think a reasonable four-year extension would benefit his trade value.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Extension Candidate: Justin Masterson
The Indians have extended starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, and Fausto Carmona in the last decade, in most cases getting cost savings and extra free agent years in the process. Fresh off a breakout season, could 26-year-old Indians righty Justin Masterson be next?
Masterson's 2011 season featured career-bests in innings (216), ERA (3.21), walk rate (2.7 per nine), home run rate (0.46 per nine) and wins (12). His always-strong groundball rate held up, and his 6.6 K/9 was acceptable. The knock on Masterson has always been his difficulty retiring left-handed batters. Though he wasn't able to put them away with strikeouts, Masterson limited his walks against left-handed batters and posted a 3.88 xFIP against them. In general, he might not be able to maintain 2011's 6.3% home run per flyball rate, but Masterson still remains capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.
Masterson has three years and 108 days of Major League service, so he's arbitration eligible for the first time this winter. Matt Swartz's projections call for a $3.6MM salary in 2012. Masterson's arbitration case may be tied to the fates of other first-time starters such as Jeff Niemann, Max Scherzer, and Matt Harrison this year, among others.
In recent times, extensions for pitchers with three to four years of service have been rare. Perhaps once a player is on the cusp of his first big payday through arbitration, he prefers to see that through for at least one year. If an extension is preferable to Masterson, his agent Randy Rowley could look to Johnny Cueto's contract, signed a year ago with the Reds. At an even three years, Cueto had less service time than Masterson, one reason Masterson bests Cueto by 82 2/3 innings. Cueto still managed four more wins, but they're otherwise comparable, with the career and platform year ERA edge going to Masterson. The numbers converge further if we only look at Masterson's 87 career starts.
Cueto signed a four-year, $27MM deal. He received $16.2MM for his three arbitration years and $10MM for his first free agent year, with a club option at the same price for another. The same contract would be a reasonable target for Masterson, perhaps with a few hundred thousand tacked on so he could top Cueto.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Pena, Padres, White Sox, Braun
Presenting the first edition of Quick Hits for 2012..
- An interesting fact courtesy of Yahoo's Jeff Passan (via Twitter): Of the 23 teams to have spent money on free agents this offseason, the Red Sox rank 18th and the Yankees are tied for 19th. Each team has spent $4.35MM and $4MM, respectively.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jason Frasor shortly after the trade that he's now satisfied with the look of his bullpen, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Frasor will join the recently-signed Darren Oliver and Sergio Santos, who Anthopoulos traded for in December.
- The Blue Jays now have 40 men on the 40-man roster after acquiring Frasor, which means that the club will need to make another move in the coming days to create space for Oliver, Chisholm tweets. The veteran agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013 on Friday.
- It's possible that Carlos Pena could be an option for the Indians, but the market for first baseman won't truly shake loose until Prince Fielder finds his new home, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Yesterday, just over 7% of MLBTR readers polled picked the Tribe as Pena's most likely destination while the Brewers won out with almost 20% of the vote.
- The Padres shook things up yesterday when they traded for Carlos Quentin, but you can expect them to open the season with Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett in the middle infield, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- Speaking of the Quentin deal, Dayan Viciedo is now expected to take over in right field for the White Sox, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The 22-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $10MM deal he signed in December of 2008.
- An official familiar with the appeals process for banned substances told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel that he doesn't anticipate Ryan Braun winning his case against a 50-game suspension. The source said that Braun's only options are to prove an error in the testing or say that the Brewers signed off on a treatment. However, there are provisions in place to ensure accurate testing and the club never gave Braun the go-ahead to use any substance.
- Fielder liked the idea of playing in Chicago because it's a reasonable distance from his Florida home and he has had success at Wrigley Field, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. However, that no longer appears to be a possibility for the slugger as the Cubs are looking to rebuild.
Morosi On Blue Jays, First Base, Starters, Cespedes
The baseball world figures to remain relatively quietly until after the New Year, but as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes, there is still a lot of work to be done before the season begins. Let's round up Morosi's rumors…
- The Blue Jays are saying they will not give a hitter a contract of more than five guaranteed years, though they'll likely have to violate that policy if they want to sign Prince Fielder.
- The Brewers, Cubs, Nationals, Indians, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, Rays, and Pirates are all considering non-Fielder upgrades at first base. Carlos Pena, Casey Kotchman, and Derrek Lee remain unsigned, among others.
- Some within the game believe that Joakim Soria and Carlos Marmol could be had at the right price. The Cubbies are said to be planning a "complete and total rebuild."
- Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain available, and the Rangers may be willing to trade Matt Harrison for a more established starter.
- Most believe Yoenis Cespedes will sign for more than the $30.25MM Aroldis Chapman received because as a position player, he carried less risk. A larger number of interested teams and the new collective bargaining agreement will also help his cause.
Reds Claim Josh Judy Off Waivers
The Reds have claimed Josh Judy off waivers from the Indians, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). Judy was designated for assignment last week to clear room on the 40-man roster for the recently acquired Aaron Cunningham.
Judy, 25, was a 34th-round draft pick for the Tribe in 2007. He made his Major League debut last season, posting a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings out of the Cleveland bullpen. Judy has some impressive numbers over five seasons in the minors (career 2.81 ERA, 10.4 K/9 rate, 2.4 K/BB ratio), so it's not surprising he was claimed. Cincinnati's 40-man roster is now at 37.
Quick Hits: Beltran, Wren, Padres, Marshall
Cornelius Alexander "Connie" Mack was born on this day in 1862. After an 11-year playing career, Mack went on to become the manager and co-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901 and was a fixture in the A's dugout for the next half-century. Between his 50 years with the A's (and three years managing the Pirates from 1894-96), Mack won five World Series titles and compiled a 3731-3948 record. Needless to say, Mack's records for managerial wins and losses will never be broken.
Some news from around the majors…
- The Indians made "an aggressive" two-year contract offer to Carlos Beltran worth "very close" to the $26MM Beltran received from the Cardinals, a source tells Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- The Braves have been rather quiet this offseason but "the fact is we like our team," GM Frank Wren tells David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We continue to have some conversations,” Wren said. “We’d have liked to have gotten something done in November in some areas, but just weren’t the matches….We’re continuing to work different options. This was not a good free-agent year, not a lot of players that impacted teams, especially in the areas we would like to get better in.” Wren said the Braves may wait to see how their players perform during Spring Training before deciding if they need to bring in some new acquisitions.
- The Padres still have around $7-$9MM to spend this winter, observes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune as part of his weekly chat with fans.
- Center also discusses Anthony Rizzo trade rumors, citing the Rays and Cubs as the most interested parties. Center thinks teams who miss out on Prince Fielder (such as possibly the Mariners and Orioles) could look at Rizzo as well.
- The Reds will use Sean Marshall as a setup man, not as a closer, once their deal with the Cubs is finalized, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Fay also wonders if the Reds are working out a contract extension with Marshall, as the price of Travis Wood plus two prospects seems high for a reliever who is only under control through 2012.
- The Mariners are still interested in Jeff Francis, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Seattle wants a veteran like Francis for the rotation to serve as a bridge for the team's young pitchers. We heard about the Mariners' interest in Francis earlier this month, and the Twins, Pirates, Cubs and Rockies have also been linked to the Canadian left-hander.
- Patrick Ebert of Perfect Game runs down the 10 biggest stories that emerged from this year's amateur draft.
- Former Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez told Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo of MLB Network Radio (as reported by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro) that he didn't agree with Miami's signing of Jose Reyes. "You already have an All-Star shortstop, why spend money on another All-Star shortstop?" Rodriguez asked. "Why not put the money into another player, like Albert Pujols or a front-line pitcher?” Rodriguez also wondered how "a very proud player" like Hanley Ramirez would handle switching positions and having Reyes be the center of media attention in Miami.
- The Giants haven't spent much to address their lack of hitting this winter, writes Fangraphs' Wendy Thurm.